The Darkness
by Danali Cross
Summary: Romeo decided 7 years ago that once he found his guild mates, he would do anything in his power to protect them. Now, when Lucy finds herself kidnapped by the kingdom during the Grand Magic Tournament, Romeo sneaks out to help rescue her. However, he finds himself sucked into a world very unlike his home. Only that it is exactly where his home will be, four hundred years from now.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I wasn't planning on writing a full story. However, my mind came up with this one day and wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote a ten page outline of the story's plot and then write the first chapter. Stupid brain.**

**I understand this will be AU to the Fairy tail world. However, at this exact moment, it follows fairly well. In the next week or two once this story is proven to be AU, I will be sad. However, if I am right (which I am not) I will be dancing like a crazy person and telling everyone how brilliant I am. Probably to trip seconds later.**

**Please review.**

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I do not own Fairy Tail. Except for the first two Blue Ray/DVD combo packs. Which are awesome.

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Chapter 1: Into the Darkness

Romeo panted faster as he ran through the hallways of the castle. This was taking too long. How could he save the others if he did not get there in time? He would not fail, he could not fail, his guild mates. It was his self appointed mission in life to protect them. Something Romeo had promised himself after Natsu and the others had gone missing after the disastrous S class trial. While he had not been there, Romeo knew the pain of loosing those members shared by everyone who was left. His father in particular had been affected. Romeo would never allow others to suffer again, as long as he could breathe.

Which is why he had snuck away from the rest of the guild earlier. No one had noticed when he had slipped out of the stands during the final battle of the Grand Magic Tournament. Fairy Tail had been too caught up in the battles of the comrades to notice the thirteen year old boy sneak out of the crowd towards the back exit. Well, no one other than the First Master had noticed. Romeo had quickly exited the stands as Mavis easily slipped behind him as he started down the corridor towards the exit.

"Romeo?" she called after him, loud enough for him to hear but soft enough none of the other guild members would notice. He froze, thinking the First would order him back inside and deny him any chance of helping his friends. He took a deep breath while turning around hoping she would be kind to him. While Mavis looked like a mere child, Romeo knew her power must be beyond extraordinary as the founder of his guild. Romeo wouldn't argue. The faster she would finish her reprimand, the faster he could sneak away again and find the castle. There was no way he would allow Natsu and the others to fight without him, even if it meant facing the First and Third's wrath once he returned.

Romeo looked into the First Master's eyes and was once again reminded of his promise. The seven years the members had spent on Tenrou Island were seven years filled with training for Romeo. He had known, without a doubt, that Natsu and the others had been alive. He had tried to explain to the others, but after a time Romeo realized the others had agreed with him just to humor a child. Romeo stopped smiling at that point. His childhood was broken as everyone else in the guild he loved either left it or stopped defending themselves against others that took advantage of them. Natsu, and the others had returned though. And now that they were back, Romeo would never allow Fairy Tail to reach the bottom agin.

And now that time had come to make good of his promise.

Lucy had been captured by the kingdom, with the promise of her return if Fairy Tail wins the Grand Magic Tournament. However, the Third had come up with another plan that was the only sure way to get Lucy back. They would win the tournament, the team would do nothing less. Becoming the best guild in Fiore would be a bonus, but now that one of their own was resting on their placement in the tournament, there was no doubt within Romeo that Fairy Tail would loose. However, they would also send a small group of members into the depths of the castle to help Lucy escape from the prison.

Romeo had begged to go when he found out. However, the team was formed by Mira, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Pantherlily, and Natsu instead.

When Natsu saw how upset Romeo was at the fact he had to stay behind, the dragon slayer had made some joke on how it would only take minutes for him to destroy the castle to find Lucy and that it would be boring if Romeo went along. While Romeo was happy at the thought his hero was trying to make him feel better, the boy could only focus on how all his training wouldn't help his guild members after all.

"I guess you're right. Go burn every wall down until you find her for me," Romeo sighed as he offered a small smile to Natsu. The pink haired fire dragon slayer hit him on the top of the head while laughing agreeing to Romeo's request.

When Romeo had said it, he had meant it. However, after watching the first few fights of the tournament, he noticed how no one in the guild seemed to be paying any attention to the small fire magic user.

When Gray won his fight against Rufus, Romeo noticed every eye in the stadium was on Gray as he snatched the feathered hat his defeated opponent wore. Not one person saw as he moved back one row closer to the exit.

Every battle after, Romeo moved once more. First with Erza and Kagura, next with Gajeel and Rouge, followed closely by Laxus and Jura. Continuing on, until finally Romeo reached the exit. He thought no one would notice as all eyes were fixed on Juvia and Gray's unison raid. But he was proven wrong by the sweet voice of Mavis.

"Romeo?" the First Master asked again, breaking him out of his memories.

"Ah, I was-well you see-I was hungry!" Romeo blurted out the first thing on his mind. He immediate covered his mouth with his hand. Not even Natsu would leave a teammate's battle in search of food. Now, the master would be even more upset over the visible lie.

Instead the First just gave him a small chuckle.

"You better hurry. I have a feeling they need you," she said softly. Romeo could only stare at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

She gave him a sad smile and leaned forward, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Go," she whispered again.

Romeo broke into a large smile and turned to run down the corridor once more. He had not expected to be let go without some form of a talk or punishment. His father probably would have made him clean the hen house for a month if he had found Romeo sneaking out when previously told not to. Romeo was afraid to push his good luck, but decided to stop and yell back a thank you to the first master. His voice died before he could say anything as he saw the First standing in the middle of the hall with her head down and tears streaming down her face.

His resolve almost broke at the sight.

He didn't run back though. Romeo planned instead to ask her later what would cause her to be so upset. Now, though, he had friends to save. Somehow he knew that his destiny did not involve him staying behind, but instead moving forward.

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Romeo had seen that door before. He was sure of it.

Most of the doors in the castle looked the same, but Romeo was positive he had seen the one in front of him mere minutes before. It had a slight burn against the upper right side. The boy had been following scorch marks since he had first run across them on the second floor. Romeo was sure it was Natsu who had made the damages, but only hoped he had chosen the correct direction to follow. There was a fifty percent chance Romeo was moving in the direction away from the small team.

Finding and getting inside had been a lot easier than Romeo thought it would be. In fact, he had spent all of his time thinking of ways to sneak inside, so much so that he did not think about what to do once he was inside the castle. When the guards on duty were nowhere to be found, and the front door had been open Romeo had first thought it was a trap. He had looked in multiple different directions and behind many bushes, but could still not find a single person who was waiting to jump out at him once he stepped towards the entrance. Romeo had wrapped his hands with his purple fire, and inched his way through the door. It was only once he was completely inside that Romeo decided he would truly not be attacked and allowed his flames to die.

However, once inside the enormous building, Romeo found himself inexplicably lost. His only hope was to wonder around until he could find someone who would know where Natsu and the others were.

Romeo stopped once again, trying to determine which way the flames were likely to lead. To the left was a path that looked to have some flames still licking the sides of the walls. However, he had already felt like he had followed that path, and had ended up going in a complete loop around the castle. Romeo could also go right, where only a few marks could be seen, in the hope that it was the fresher route as less attacks were made due to the fact most of them had been knocked out earlier.

His decision was made for him though with a shout coming from somewhere strait in front of him.

"LUCY!"

Without thinking, Romeo took off in the direction the yell had come from. It had been Natsu, Romeo was sure of it.

At the end of the hallway was a door, which just behind Romeo was sure he would find his guild mates. His paces quickened when he heard a female scream, "NATSU!"

Hands lit with purple flames, Romeo burst through the door.

Romeo first saw Natsu being held by multiple guards against a wall. Next he saw Mira and the others in similar situations. Lastly, he saw Lucy being force into what looked to be a wall of blackness that flickered with other colors where she seemed to be getting close to it.

Lucy was struggling against two guards that looked twice her size. Her clothes were torn and Romeo could easily see blood stains on them from where cuts underneath the cloth seeped into the surrounding fabric. One of her arms looked to be hanging at a strange angle, making Romeo almost positive that it was broken. Rage boiled in Romeo's stomach at the sight of his tortured friend.

Without thinking Romeo ran forward and grabbed onto Lucy's good arm while trying to pull her away from the black wall which seemed to be reaching out to embrace her. The guards had not become aware of his presence, which made the attack a complete surprise. Yet, his extra strength did nothing to budge the guards' hold of his guild mate. Instead, it caused Romeo to slip on the floor and tumbled into the darkness.

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**Review? Please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't ever expect this. I have never, in my entire life, written two chapters for a story in as many days. Especially on a Tuesday. Tuesday's are made special by the homework gods to slowly drown me in work. But, I felt the first chapter was really short and didn't set up the main focus of the story. I should have called it "Prologue" instead of a chapter. Thus, Chapter 2 is my gift to you.**

**Also, I found myself extremely giddy with joy by the positive responses I got. Thank you **_**Zaru**_** and **_**heoplis . reynolds **_**for the reviews. And an extra thank you to **_**Zaru**_** for the support in the story you have given me.**

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Chapter 2: Awakening in the Darkness

Romeo awoke to a pounding in his head and a stomach that felt like it would explode. His first action was to roll over and empty said stomach of all its contents. He couldn't remember what had happened. There had been fighting, and something black, he had needed to save someone.

"Lucy!" he shot up as he remembered the blond. But the sudden movement caused his stomach to lurch once again and he found himself trying to hold back from dry heaving.

Romeo laid back down as he tried to stop the pounding in his head and gain control of his stomach. After a few minutes he was able to breath normally once again. Then he slowly brought himself to a sitting position with only minimal discomfort to himself.

Without thinking Romeo opened his eyes to the surrounding, but immediately closed them. It only took a short amount of time for his eyesight to adjusted to the obscene amount of light that seemed determined to make him blind.

Green?

He did not remember there being this much green in the castle. Perhaps he had landed somewhere in the garden. But as Romeo looked around more, he started to have his doubts.

There was no sign of the giant castle that had once looked over the entire city, or a city for that matter.

Romeo knew that it was not possible for the castle to have burned down. Even if Natsu had gone on such a rampage, there would still be ash and the ruins of the giant castle. Instead Romeo was looking at the top of a hill covered with trees and bushes as if there had never been anything man made placed on it before.

Slowly lifting himself to a standing position, so as to not upset his stomach, Romeo looked for any sign of the giant city he had spent the last week in. He thought that maybe he had just not seen it while sitting down.

But there was nothing.

He walked slowly over to the edge of the hill in order to get a better look at the land surrounding him. Romeo saw a little river flowing through the field below him. On the other side of the river was a large rock outcrop that looked strangely familiar. It was grey with large spikes that seemed to reach towards the heavens. Romeo blinked and tilted his head trying to place where he had seen the sight before.

His mind seemed to be forming a conclusion when he was interrupted by a bird's warning cry. Romeo immediately dived into a bush that had been beside him. Panicking at any sign of danger was not how the boy would typically react. However, being thrown into an unknown area after being hit by an unknown spell caused him to become more cautious. He knew about the nausea, but there could also be problems with his physical strength and his magic. Without knowing this, Romeo would take extra precautions not to end up in a fight.

Romeo did not light his hands on fire even with the extra caution, afraid it would cause the bush to burst into flames and compromise his position. Instead he crouched down farther into the bush, trying to blend in with the ground.

After searching all directions of the forest for the danger, Romeo felt more at ease. There had been no movement except for the rabbit that had dashed across the clearing. It was at this time Romeo made to remove himself from the bushes.

The cry came again and this time, there was clearly a shadow floating across the ground.

His muscles froze at the sight.

Then Romeo breathed a sigh of relief when he looked more closely at the outline of the shadow. It looked like it was just a large hawk targeting its next meal.

Not afraid any longer, Romeo untangled himself from the bushes. Getting only a few minor scrapes on his arms and legs. By the time he finally fell free, the shadow was gone.

Not sure what to do, Romeo decided to hike down to the river he had seen from the edge of the hill. With no extra water on him and having emptied his stomach earlier, Romeo knew he would get thirsty fast. Thus, he started down the mountain.

After only walking for ten minutes, the boy came across what looked to be a game trail. While training in the forest outside of Magnolia, Romeo had discovered similar paths ranging throughout the area. One day he had become curious enough to follow a path. It was much easier to walk that walking through the forest normally due to the fact Romeo did not have to fight with the plants for every step he took. Instead, the moved aside easily and he walked forward. At the end of the trail Romeo had found a small pool of water. After following multiple trails, he discovered all lead to some form of water. Which eventually led him to cease carrying his own water into the forest, as Romeo could use his fire magic to boil any water he finds.

With this knowledge Romeo started down the path on the hill, thinking he could save time and energy.

As Romeo walked he made sure he was aware of his surroundings. It would not do well if he were to be hurt with no one around due to his lack of awareness. However, he still dedicated a portion of his mind to decide what course of action he should take once he found water.

Finding people would be the next step. If he could find someone who could tell him where he was, then he would be one step closer to returning home. Now which direction would be the most likely to bring him into civilization's reaches?

This question proved to be too tough for Romeo at the moment, and instead wondered where he had possibly ended up. His theories ranged from Edolas to being sent into a neighboring kingdom to Fiore. However, he soon scrapped the Edolas idea, as he was still able to use his magic.

Romeo stiffened as his senses picked up something that sent warning signs off in his head.

He was being followed.

Romeo continued walking, not sure how to proceed at that moment. But the source of magic was getting closer to him and he knew he had to make a decision. Romeo looked around, being surrounded by trees would only welcome a sneak attack. As he did not know the area well enough to use the same tactic on whatever was following him his only chance was finding a small clearing where he could see his attackers.

Romeo quickly looked around him and saw what looked to be a clearing through some trees on his left. He dashed forward, as whatever was following him was not slowing down. Romeo burst into the clearing and ran towards the center. That way his attackers would have to travel the same distance wherever they emerged.

Flames already licked his arms as Romeo waited.

What stumbled through the bushes was not what the fire mage had expected. A boy and a girl, obviously siblings by the looks of their hair, stepped out of the shadows.

The boy looked to be a year or two older than Romeo, with spiky light blue hair. His eyes matched the coloring except for being a shade lighter, as if they were almost white. He was much taller than Romeo, four inches at least. Although he also had a stocky build that looked very similar to Natsu.

Romeo's attention next traveled to the girl. She also shared the same light blue hair. Although the girl kept it cut short in a pixie like fashion. It flipped out slightly at the end, causing it to looked even more enthralling as the sun shone through it and sparkled like crystals reflecting rainbows. Her eyes were darker than the boy's though, resembling the sky more than ice. However, her face held very childlike features, which caused Romeo to believe she was younger than him.

"Hello," a cheery voice trilled from the girl as she smiled and offered a small wave. The boy next to her huffed.

"Who are you?" Romeo asked curtly while he ignored the cheeriness of the girl, thinking it could be a trick.

The boy snuffed, but the girl's smile only widened. "I"m Meiko," she trilled again, "and this is my brother, Riku." She then turned to her brother and punched him in the shoulder softly, "Stop glaring at him. We don't want to scare him off."

Riku looked offended for a moment, then let his arms uncross and gave Romeo a small smile. His entire demeanor changed from something of a predator stalking prey to old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Romeo let his flames die, but stood ready to dodge at any moment. "Why were you following me?" He questioned.

Riku looked as if he was about to answer when Meiko did instead, "It isn't often we find another free human. We thought we would find you and offer you a safe place to stay. Staying alone in the forest is always scary, even for the strongest of us." Her eyes flashed briefly to her brother, then returned to Romeo.

"Will you tell us your name?" she ventured before Romeo could ask another question.

"Romeo."

"Romeo," Meiko repeated. As if she was testing out how it felt to say his name. She smiled after this, apparently approving.

Romeo took this opportunity to ask another question that had been plaguing his mind ever since he woke up.

"Where am I?"

"We call this place Crocus, for the flowers that bloom here every spring. It's so beautiful. I always say that once we are all free and able to settle in open fields we should build a town here. It's so peaceful that no one would ever want war again." Piercing blue eyes locked with Romeo's as a smile lit up her face, "It's my dream."

The lumbering boy next to her ruffled her hair, "Ha. It can't be a dream if it will come true. Do you forget my promises so easily?" The teasing was evident in his voice.

Meiko glared at her brother to the best of her abilities, which was not much with her childlike features. Riku only laughed and dodged as she threw fake punches at him.

But Romeo noticed none of this. His mind was too full of questions. _Crocus? But that can't be true. There is no signs of any buildings. Even if the city was destroyed there would be remnants. Especially where the tournament area was! But I have to admit it looks similar._

Romeo could only conclude one thing if what he was told was true. The question is no longer where he is, but when.

He could remember Natsu and the others speaking to the master about something called the eclipse plan. It had something to do with time travel. But he hadn't heard the entire conversation as his father had caught him listening in on the private conversation. Romeo could not think of a time when he wished his father had been distracted more than at that moment. If he had then perhaps his situation now would make more sense.

A punch to Romeo's shoulder stopped his wondering thoughts. "Yo, you ok?" Riku asked while bending down to be at eye level with the younger boy. Romeo tried not to scowl at being distracted.

"Of course he isn't ok, brother," the young blue haired girl said as she popped up between the older boys. "Don't you remember what it was like when we first got away? Knowing the people we loved and grew up with, we would never see again. But to know we were free."

Romeo tried to interrupt here, to explain that he had no clue as to what Meiko was talking about. However, she ignored him completely and continued on, "We could laugh and have joy and not be afraid that at any moment we could be snatched from each other." Meiko brought both her hands up and placed them on the side of Romeo's face. He stiffened at the contact, unsure what she would do next.

Her radiant smile was there again, causing her blue eyes to hold a warm glow, "You never have to be scared like that again. I will always be there for you when you need me."

Romeo could not help but wonder about this strange girl. Even though they had only met, she made such a large promise to someone. And the promise was real, not made out of a fake attempt to gain his trust. Romeo knew because when she spoke her voice held the same conviction Natsu used whenever facing an opponent who wished harm upon his family.

"Oi, stop making promises like that, sis. He may not even stay in our village, so don't get attached," came Riku's deep voice.

Romeo took a step back, glad that he could have space to think and breath. It had shaken him how much the girl reminded him of Natsu at that moment. But he did not want anyone to know this. So he took a breath and made his face blank before looking up at Riku who stood behind his sister, "You sure use a lot of interjections. Is that because your brain is so small it can't think of anything else to explain its feelings?"

Riku first looked shocked then angry. Romeo smirked. When in doubt, place focus on someone else.

The blue haired boy used his hands to slide up his sleeves and took a step forward. Romeo knew that he was at a disadvantage, as he did not know what type of magic Riku used, yet the teen had seen his fire only minutes before. He was also older and much more physically fit than the fire mage. But perhaps the fight would help clear his mind. It was too full at the moment.

He would never get to experience that fight though, as Meiko put her hands on her brother's chest to stop his forward progress. She did not say anything, only shook her head no.

Riku sighed at the lost opportunity of a battle, but acquiesced to his little sister. He still shot a glare, much more formidable than his sister's, towards Romeo, "Hn. You better not stay in our village. Because if you ever say something like that again and she isn't around, I'll pummel you."

Romeo knew that the threat was real, but couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. Even in his bleak situation, Romeo had somehow found someone who he knew would become his sparring buddy. Riku was someone who would not take it easy on Romeo in a spar just because he was a kid. Riku would not hold his punches because he was friends with Romeo's father. In the back of his mind, Romeo made the decision that he would stay wherever Riku and Meiko lived for as long as it took to find out how to return home.

"We should find Kaoru. With another person in the group, our training wont work as well," Meiko spoke as she looked around the small clearing they were in.

Riku let out a snort of laughter, "Some lookout he turned out to be. Can't even tell when there is some snot nosed kid in the area."

Romeo ignored the remark and concentrated on what Meiko must have meant instead. He had not sensed any other magic when he had come across the siblings' magic while traveling. While he was not the best at noticing magic signatures, Romeo was quite proud in his abilities to know what someone was in the near area. He opened his mouth to ask what the blue siblings were talking about when a person appeared right in the middle of the three mages.

Romeo jumped backwards with his purple flames dancing up his arms, ready to attack the intruder that had suddenly appeared.

It was another boy, but older than Riku by a few years. He was tall and gangly, as if he had grown greatly in a short amount of time, and his body had not had the chance to fill out yet. His hair was a sandy blond, which matched his yellow eyes perfectly. Yet, everything about him seemed average. Romeo had a feeling he could stare at the teenager for a long time and still not be able to find him in the middle of a crowd. This fact made Romeo even more worried, and his flames grew hotter at the premise of a fight.

"Wait! He's a friend! Don't attack him," Meiko cried before Romeo threw a punch at the boy.

Romeo held back his punch and forced his flames to die at her worried voice. He took a deep breath and looked at Meiko while still keeping the strange guy in his vision. At the first sign of trouble his flames would be back, and the blond would be sporting a black eye.

"How did he-"

"That's Kaoru. He's the scouter of our group. Invisibility magic makes it really easy for him to look around and report back to us what he finds," Meiko explained before Romeo could finish his question.

Romeo allowed his gaze to lock onto the teen, Kaoru, again. He was shaking and his mouth kept opening like he was trying to say something. Romeo instantly felt guilty. He had not meant to scare the guy badly enough that he couldn't talk. He was about to apologize when Kaoru gave up on speech and instead pointed a finger towards the sky.

Instantly, Romeo was being forced into a cluster of trees on the side of the clearing. It had been Riku who had pushed him forward, but Romeo had been too distracted to rebel against the sudden push. Instead he tumbled against a tree and crouched low.

Wondering what could cause such a panic among his new friends Romeo looked up, where Kaoru had been pointing.

Romeo could only stare in amazement at the creature flying high in the sky. It was something he had heard about many times from Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel, but he never thought he would see one in his lifetime. A long tail flared out behind the creature as it turned against a gale. The sun glinted off its purple scales, mesmerizing Romeo in what seemed like a constantly changing dance. Romeo had never seen something more beautiful in his life, and doubted he ever would again.

"I-is that a-a dragon?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Meiko was also trembling softly from her place behind her brother. Romeo could faintly hear her teeth chattering as she tried to clench them together. Her eyes were also shut, as if wishing that what was happening was just a dream she would wake up from.

Romeo didn't understand. All the dragons he had heard about may not have been the friendliest towards human, but he had never heard of one randomly attacking. Meiko's fear didn't match with his knowledge.

He looked at Kaoru, wondering if he had the same reaction. Romeo saw Kaoru standing frozen against the tree, as if he was trying to melt into the wood. The teen could not seem to focus enough to get his invisibility magic to work correctly. As his face and right arm were clearly visible.

The greatest difference was in Riku though. The boy who answered him was no longer the loud and happy guy Romeo had met only minutes ago. Instead, his response was as cold as ice and full of malice.

"Yes."

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**I promise the chapters will get much longer the farther into the story I get. However, I'm still setting some plot aspects up, and don't want to give too much away.**

**Please review!**


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